Are leaders automatically managers or can managers be leaders? Even among theorists and workplace analysts, there has been a need to differentiate leaders from managers. However, various groups and factions have not agreed on a common metric to distinguish leaders from managers. Regardless, Macropay reviews the strong pointers that can help distinguish between leadership and management.
In the workplace, lines can be easily blurred due to the, sometimes, interchangeable nature of managers and leaders. Here are a few ways to tell leadership apart from management:
Contents
Does a leader take more risk than a manager?
The response to risks is how you can distinguish between leadership and management. Management is zeroed in on trying to avoid risks. The entire work process of managers is geared toward mitigating or controlling risks while the qualities of a leader can be filed under risk-takers without being incorrect. Under leadership, risks are taken more because open a new avenue for success.
How do goals and innovation define a manager and a leader?
Managers are the perceived taskmasters of the workforce. It is their primary duty to assign a task to an employee, set the metrics for measuring performance and evaluate work output as it relates to results. In other words, under management, the principal focus is to achieve company goals.
However, leadership is concerned with driving or motivating the employees to share in the mission and vision of the company. This is to immerse and incorporate their views in the processes of the company. That way, they are more inspired to be innovative, plotting ways to advance the business’ growth and success.
Is building relationships important to a Leader or Manager?
The core of leadership is people. Great emphasis is placed on leaders being champions of building healthy relationships. Leaders channel their efforts to strengthen their circle of influence to help actualise company vision.
In the case of management, systems are upheld to maintain a structure. This applies to relationships as well. Managers maintain a hierarchy that proves to be the most efficient for the organisation. However, managers are not evil. They simply focus on attaining company goals with a focus that often does not leave room for personal relationships.
Skills and Dynamism in Management and Leadership
Both leaders and managers appreciate how the presence of a particular skill set can improve the work process. However, a manager is more likely to focus on improving or refining an already acquired skill than a leader. For a manager, these skills have been proven to yield results and improving on them will help optimize the quality and quantity of output.
Meanwhile, leadership values improving an employee holistically rather than focusing on a specific skill. This approach may not always have immediate productivity as a direct goal but rather, prioritizes the employee’s overall growth.
Conclusion
Management and leadership can mean two different approaches to being a company head but at the core, their goals are the same. That is to improve the workplace and make the company prosper.
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